Method of assembling an outer shell



Nov. 12, 1968 K. K. KESLING METHOD OF ASSEMBLING AN OUTER SHELL 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 13, 1966 INVENTOR. Keith K. Kes/ing His Attorney Nov. 12, 1968 KESUNG 3,409,976

METHOD OF ASSEMBLING AN OUTER SHELL Filed Jan. 13, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig. 5

Fig. 6 44 4o 6O 54 28 28 Hg. /0 3o 30 60/ 54 INVENTOR.

Keith A. Kes/ing /l.i r%

His Afforney' United States Patent 3,409,976 METHOD OF ASSEMBLING AN OUTER SHELL Keith K. Kesling, Dayton, Ohio, assignor to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Filed Jan. 13, 1966, Ser. No. 520,411 3 Claims. (Cl. 29-476) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE In the preferred form to form a cabinet, a sheet metal blank is cut to a length and width slightly longer and wider than the total length and width of the top and sides of the cabinet. This blank is then notched at the corners as well as at the ends of the two lines upon which the blank is later to be folded to form the corner between the top and sides of the cabinet. The edges of the blank are then bent at right angles to form a flange extending around all the edges. After this, the blank is folded into an inverted U-shape with slightly less than right angle bends between the top and side portions. A second blank slightly longer than the combined length of the back and bottom of the cabinet is then folded into an L-shape. A continuous cavity or bulge is formed in adjacent portions of the bottom of the back which stiffens the blank and holds the angle. The first U-shaped piece is placed over the second piece and the edges brought together and electrically seam welded to complete the shell.

This invention relates to the manufacture of the outer shell of a cabinet and particularly to the manufacture of a household refrigerator cabinet.

The outer shells of refrigerator cabinets have been manufactured in many different ways as illustrated by Patents 1,668,646 issued May 8, 1928; 1,832,089 issued Nov. 17, 1931; 2,019,588 issued Nov. 5, 1935; 2,036,753 issued Apr. 7, 1936; 2,139,521 issued Dec. 6, 1938, and 2,141,255 issued Dec. 27, 1938. The desirability that the outer shell exclude outside air is recognized in Patent 1,908,248 issued May 9, 1933.

It is an object of this invention to form and assemble as few parts as possible with as few and simple operations as possible, with as few and short seams as possible, the outer shell of a refrigerator cabinet.

It is another object of this invention to form and assemble without any exposed seams, when viewed from the front and sides with the door closed, the outer shell of a refrigerator cabinet.

These and other objects are attained in the form of the invention illustrated in the drawings in which a blank is cut to a length slightly longer than the total length of the top and sides of the cabinet and slightly wider than the depth of the cabinet or shell to be formed. This blank is then notched at the corners as well as at the ends of the two lines upon which the blank is laterto be folded to form the corner between the top and sides of the cabinet. The edges of the blank are then bent at right angles to form a flange extending along all of the edges. After this, the blank is folded into inverted U-shape with slightly less than right angle bends between the top and the side portions.

A second blank is cut slightly longer than the combined length of the back and the bottom of the cabinet or outer shell. This second blank is then folded into an L-shape with a long section extending upwardly at right angles at the front of the bottom. Thereafter, a cavity is drawn in the bottom'and lower part of the back.

Following this, the inverted U-shape first piece is placed over the second piece with the flanges of the first piece extending over the edges of the second piece or 3,409,976 Patented Nov. 12, 1968 blank and the sides of the first piece are moved to a position relative to the top. Thereafter, the adjacent edges of the two blanks are electrically welded by seam Welding through the portions of the flange of the first blank which are in contact with edge portions of the second blank to complete the outer shell.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings wherein referred embodiments of the present invention are clearly shown.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a diagrammatic plan view illustrating the cutting of the first blank to proper length;

FIGURE 2 is a plan view illustrating the notching of the first blank;

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view illustrating the folding of the edge portions of the first blank to form the flanges at the edges thereof;

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view illustrating the folding of the first blank into an inverted U-shape;

FIGURE 5 is a plan view illustrating the cutting of the second blank to proper length;

FIGURE 6 is a perspective View illustrating the folding of the second blank to an L-shape;

FIGURE 7 is a perspective view illustrating the drawing of the cavity in the bottom and back of the second blank;

FIGURE 8 is a perspective view illustrating the -assemblin of the first and second blanks together;

FIGURE 9 is a perspective view taken from the rear of the shell illustrating the completion of the assembly and the welding of the two blanks together through the flange portions of the first blank; and

FIGURE 10 is a perspective view taken from the front illustrating the completed cabinet shell.

Referring now to the drawings and more particularly to FIGURE 1, the blank 20 is cut to proper length and width from the sheet supply stock 22. This blank 20 is of a width equal to the desired front to rear depth of the shell to be made plus an additional amount suflicient to form flanges on each side thereof. The length is made long enough to extend across the top and down both entire sides of the shell to be formed. In addition, the length includes additional amounts at each end to form flanges of the desired width.

As a second operation, as illustrated in FIGUREZ, there is cut from the blank 20, 90 notches 24 at each of the corners and also 90 V-shaped notches 26 are cut at the opposite ends of the proposed lines of fold 28.

As a third step, illustrated in FIGURE 3, all of the edges of the blank 20 are folded to an angle of about 90 to form the flanges 30 at the opposite ends and the flanges 32, 34 and 36 upon one side and 38, 40 and 42 upon the opposite side.

As a fourth step illustrated in FIGURE 4, the first blank is folded upon the lines 28 slightly less than 90 to form the blank into an inverted U-shape. In this inverted U-shape, the top portion 44 extends between the flanges 34 and 40 and between the folds 28, while the side portions 46 and 48 extend downwardly from the folds 28.

The cutting of the second blank 50 to a proper length from the sheet supply 52 is illustrated in FIGURE 5. This blank 50 has a width substantially equal to the width of the cabinet shell and has a length substantially equal to the back plus the side plus a short vertical portion of the shell beneath the front door opening. This blank 50 illustrated in FIGURE 6 is folded at right angle upon the transverse lines 52 and 54 to form the bottom 56 in between the folds 52 and 54 and to form the back panel 58 extending perpendicularly upwardly from the fold 52 3 at the edge of the bottom 56 while the front section 60 extends upwardly a short distance from the told 54 perpendicularly to the bottom 56.

As a seventh step, a cavity 62 having a high bulge or continuous hump formed in the rear of the bottom 56 and the lower portion of the back 58 is drawn out of the adjacent portions of the bottom and back 56 and 58. The front portion 64 of the cavity 62 is drawn relatively shallow from the bottom 56.

In the next step as illustrated in FIGURE 8, the inverted U-shaped first blank 20 is assembled with its flanges extending on the outside of the second blank 50 with the side walls 46 and 48 being pushed inwardly as indicated by the arrows 68 until they engage the side edges of the second blank 50 to the position illustrated in FIGURE 9. This brings the folds 28 to an angle of 90 so that the side panels 46 and 48 now extend at an angle of 90 downwardly from the top 44. Thereafter, all of the flanges 30, 32, 34, 36, 38, 40 and 42 are electrically seam welded through the use of an electrode 70 and suitable welding current to the adjacent edge portions of the second blank 50 as illustrated in FIGURE 9. The abutting edges of the flanges 32, 34 and 36 are also electrically welded.

The completed outer cabinet shell is illustrated in FIG- URE 10 in a perspective view showing the front of the cabinet.

While the embodiments of the present invention as herein disclosed, constitute preferred forms, it is to be understood that other forms might be adopted.

What is claimed is as follows:

1. A method of assembling the outer shell of a cabinet which comprises notching at the corners and at the edges where it is to be folded a first sheet of material slightly longer and wider than the top and both sides and fold ing the notched edges substantially at right angles to form the peripheral flange, folding upon two spaced parallel lines to form angles slightly more than 90 said first sheet of material forming the top and sides into a U-shape with slightly diverging sideS, folding a second sheet of material long and wide enough to form the back and bottom into an L-shape, assembling the two folded sheets together with the L-shaped second sheet inside the flanges of the inverted U-shaped first sheet, and bringing both sides of the first sheet inwardly into contact with both sides and one end of the second sheet and fitting together the flanges along one side of each of the three surfaces and both ends of the first sheet with the sides and ends of the second sheet, and bonding together the two sheets adjacent the sides which have been fitted together.

2. The method of assembling as defined in claim 1 in which a continuous bulge is formed in the adjacent portions of the bottom and back of the second sheet after it has been folded into the L-shape.

3. The method of assembling as defined in claim 1 in which the second sheet of material is long and wide enough to form the back and bottom and also the bottom of the front of the cabinet which includes the step of folding the second sheet upon two parallel lines at angles at substantially 90 to form the back and bottom into an L-shape with a short turned up front wall.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,043,048 10/1912 Grochau 220 1,079,507 11/1913 MCClernan 113--1 16 2,275,365 3/ 1942 Hintz 220-9 FOREIGN PATENTS 9,560 5/ 1905 Great Britain.

RICHARD J. HERBST, Primary Examiner. 

